Sidewalks
by Oliviax3
Summary: Placing one foot in front of the other, he walked under the rain following the path of the sidewalk. And then he found her, crying in the rain.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Lovely Complex or the song, Sidewalks by Story of The Year

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_All of days that past us by,  
All of the sun is gone...  
Away  
Sidewalks,  
Running away from the streets we knew  
Like the time we thought was made for you_

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**Sidewalks **

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Otani never took notice of storms and the way they battered against every surface they touched like angry fists continually knocking. He had never taken in the way the rain fell from the vast sky and moisturized the cracked land of the receiving earth. Nor the lighting that split the heavens with nothing but the resonating thunder and a blinding light. 

The sun was no where to be found, lost above treacherous clouds threatening to break open and spill yet another shower of blistering rain. Nor did he know where he was going, the sidewalks taking him away, leading him to place he did not know, and yet his feet walked onwards, one numb foot following the other at a seemingly never ending pace.

It was then, in the comatose silence, did he begin to acknowledge the water that collected in the corners of the sidewalk and pooled in the deep crevices leaving a brown, murky substance that seeped through his shoes as he trudged down the walkway.

He found himself loathing the droplets of rain the slapped his face and ran down his unmoving features like beads of frozen ice. The water that hit him was bitter, bleeding through his jacket, leaving his skin beaten and raw.

Then he found her, and a worse pain hit him. The pain of every droplet reminding him she was sitting there, feet away, with her head in her hands, crying. He couldn't tell from her tears, for they looked molded to the rain, but he heard her sobs. They were soft cries, echoing in the distance like thunder to his ears.

His sense of time was drowned away along with his wandering thoughts. He looked at her for what seemed like an eternity, his eyes fixed upon nothing but her, engraving the pelting rain, the shake of her shoulders, and her cherry red ears into his memory.

"Koizumi."

Her sniffles stopped abruptly and she peeled her wet hands from her face. Her eyes gazed up at him, red and swollen, yet still bottomless, as he remembered. She soundlessly mouthed his name, to assure herself he was really there in front of her, that he had come for her.

"Otani," she began, choking on her emotion, "I--"

Before she could take it all in, his lips were entwined with her own, her face held between his wide palms. He melted away her hesitation with a kiss so genuine; its warmth quieted her trembling body. Gently, he parted her mouth and when his tongue brushed against hers, she was utterly and irrevocably lost.

As he pulled away, her lips were still puckered and he smirked while wiping a stray tear from her cheek. She blushed in response to his tender gesture for she was not used to him being so affectionate.

He was too good to her, she thought if all the time and the only way to cure herself of the thought were the memories of all the hard work she put into earning his love. But at times like these, when his eyes looked over her with such tranquil compassion, she felt so undeserving of him.

"Otani," she gushed, the winter fleeing from her face as she smiled with dancing eyes, sparkling in the bleak haze of the rain. He met her gaze, partly concerned.

"Thank you."

He nodded once, in relief, and then mirrored her smile. Lacing her fingers with his, he led her down the sidewalk, hand in hand, toward an inevitable dawn of a new sun.

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**End**

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_Originally, I thought 'Droplets of Rain' would be my first and my only oneshot on this pairing, but this idea dawned on me and it seemed to suit the pair quite well... although hopefully the way I wrote it is all good and well, too. Hopefully. Too OCC? Too short? well this is only the gateway for more inspiration on this pairing to come!_

**_Please review_**


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